Nokia 2.3 First Impressions 4o6x35 Gadgets 360

The Nokia 2.3 is a substantial upgrade over its predecessor, with a better battery and camera. 2042q

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 6 December 2019 16:35 IST

Nokia 2.3 has debuted in Egypt, and is expected to launch in India soon 1p24x

Highlights

Nokia 2.3 has a new camera feature called Recommended Shot
The phone packs 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM
The phone has the MediaTek Helio A22 SoC just like its predecessor

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Nokia 2.3 has launched globally at an event in Egypt, and its key highlights include being part of the Android One programme, a 4,000mAh battery, and a dual camera setup at the back. This phone is the successor to the Nokia 2.2 which was launched in June this year, and it sees improvements on the battery, camera, and display fronts. The Nokia 2.3 is positioned in the budget segment, and in Europe it will retail for EUR 109 (roughly Rs. 8,600). It should launch in India in the sub-Rs. 10,000 bracket – a heavily populated segment in which it will compete with the likes of the Redmi Note 8, Realme 5s, Vivo U10, and more. For now, the company has only unveiled one variant internationally, and it's uncertain whether the India model will have the same configuration.

We were able to spend a little time with the Nokia 2.3 on the sidelines of the global event, and here are our first impressions.

At the outset, the Nokia 2.3 is bigger than its predecessor and is considerably heavier as well. The Nokia logo on it.

In our short time with the device, we found that the display was reasonably bright with good colour reproduction. It was a little reflective when direct light fell on it, but we couldn't test it in daylight. We would recommend that you wait for our full review to know how well the display works outdoors and while streaming videos.

The phone has been launched in three colour options in Egypt – Sand, Charcoal, and Cyan Green. The dual camera setup sits in the top centre of the rear, with a 13-megapixel primary camera that has an f/2.2 aperture, plus a 2-megapixel depth sensor for better portraits. The company has added a new feature called Recommended Shot, which will take several shots of the same frame in quick succession and offer you the best one, based on AI calculations. The Recommended Shot will be marked with a dot, and the will have the ability to keep any photo from the burst.

The camera module on the rear doesn't stick out like on many devices, and sits inside a metal ring which could help protect the lenses from scratches. Up front, the Nokia 2.3 has a 5-megapixel selfie sensor situated inside the waterdrop-shaped notch, and the company offers AI beauty filters for s to tinker with. The photos we were able to take in the little time we had with the device seemed to have good detail and depth. Shots taken in low light seemed to have little noise. However, we will reserve our full opinion of the camera when we review the Nokia 2.3 at length.

There's no fingerprint sensor on the Nokia 2.3, but to make up for it, face recognition has been integrated. The Nokia 2.3 is powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 processor, which is the same as the Nokia 2.2, and in our brief experience with the phone, browsing through the UI didn't have any lags or hiccups. The phone is a part of the Android One programme, and runs on stock Android Pie, which means there's no bloatware, no customisation, and no ads. There is no Android One branding this time around, though s have been promised two years of software upgrades and three years of monthly security updates. The phone's UI is neat and minimalistic, with the app drawer popping up from the bottom while the notifications shade can be pulled down from the top. The phone is marketed to be Android 10-ready, but a rollout timeline hasn't been announced.

The Nokia 2.3 packs 2GB RAM and offers 32GB of storage. There's also for memory expansion (up to 512GB) using the microSD card slot. The volume rocker and power button sit on the right side, and there's a dedicated Google Assistant key on the left. The 3.5mm audio jack is on the top, and the bottom has a Micro-USB port and speaker. It's disappointing to see Redmi Note 8 in the same price segment offer a USB Type-C port. This is a dual-SIM phone, with an additional slot for a microSD card.

The Nokia 2.3 doesn't offer NFC but comes with Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and GPS. With these internals, the Nokia 2.3 brings a lot to the table, along with the stock Android experience. HMD Global also promises two years of software and three years of monthly security patches.

HMD Global competes with the likes of EUR 109, it could turn out to be a good budget choice for s who hate bloated custom Android UIs. Its performance in the Indian market will largely depend on the price tag attached to it. It should launch here soon, and we'll have the exact date and launch price for you as soon as HMD Global announce them.

Nokia 2.3 c3n2r

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.20-inch

Processor MediaTek Helio A22 (MT6761)

Front Camera 5-megapixel

Rear Camera 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel

RAM 2GB

Storage 32GB

Battery Capacity 4000mAh

OS Android 9 Pie

Resolution 720x1520 pixels

More Nokia mobiles price in India

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